Track-anchor.



v .G. H. MILLER.

TRACK ANCHOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY23. 1906.

' Ia L :14: NORRIS PETERS cc.. wnsummuu, p. c.

PATENTED 'NOV. 1 3, 1 906.

GEORGE H. MILLER, OF NORWALK, OHIO.

TRACK-ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

Application filed July 23,1906. Serial No. 327,320.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Norwalk, county of Huron, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Anchors, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The objects of the invention are to provide a convenient attaching means or track-anchor fora power-Windlass or Wrecking device, whereby. a direct pull can be obtained upon the track and heavy objects, such as locomotives or trucks or broken cars, can be conveniently handled when there are no objects, such as trees, in the near vicinity of the track to which a pulling-tackle can be secured.

The device is directly attachable to the T-rail of the track and can be secured to any rail at any distance desired from the object to be moved upon the same track or upon a parallel or adjacent track.

The invention consists of a metal draw bar or plate having an attaching means, such as an eye, at one end for a cable and self-adj usting pivoted jaws mounted upon the other end of the plate, so arranged as to grip the T-head of a rail in a positive manner with a grip that will increase as the tension upon the jaws increases. v

The invention is further described hereinafter, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and is specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section thereof, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the manner of its use.

In these views, 1 is a metal plate or drawbar, at one end of which is shown an eye 1, to which the pulling cable or tackle is attached. Mounted upon the bottom of the draw-bar are shown the jaws 2 and 2, pivoted upon the draw-bar and spaced apart to admit the head of the rail between them. These jaws are pivoted to the bar by means of the wrists 4 thereon, and bolts 01' rivets 5 secure'them in place, and heavy washers 6 permit the jaws to move without turning the pivot-bolts. One of these jaws 2 is provided with a transverse gripping edge 7, extending in a straight line across the jaw, and is undercut at 7 to provide a lip which passes under the rail-head and prevents the jaw from coming off when engaging the rail. The other jaw 2 has two straight gripping edges 8 8, also undercut and provided with projecting lips 9 9. Upon one end of this jaw is shown a handle 10, by means of which it is turned upon its pivot to present either edge to, the

rail, and the handle projects in the direction of the pull upon the draw-bar. The edge 11 of the jaw 2 opposite the handle is smooth and not undercut and is also curved and is extended a shorter distance from thepivotal point than the two engaging edges, so that when the short end of the jawis turned toward the rail and the handle is placed as shown in Fig. l the engaging edge and lip are turned away from the rail, and as soon as released the draw-bar and jaws attached can be lifted off from. the rail; The short edge is also turned toward the rail when the draw-bar is placed upon the rail. When the jaw 2 is partially turned, a larger rail can be gri ped by the jaws. A one-quarter .tu'rn o the handle and jaw 2 are sufiicient to lock and unlock the rail.

The advantages ofthis form ofconstruction are found in the fact that thejaws will adjust themselves to difierent widths of rails and also will remain in a position nearly transverse to the line of the rail, thus obtaining the greatest amount of leverage, and cannot slip. The corners of one end of the jaw 2 being rounded or cut away permit of the adjustment for larger rails, and the harder the pull the greater the-force with which the heel h of the jaw 2 will press against the rail and the tighter it will bind thereon, the effect being somewhat that of an eccentric. The face of the jaw 2 will remain tightly in contact with the other side of the rail. This manner of pivoting the jaws permits of an automatic movement of the parallel gripping edges to engage the opposite sides of the rail,

and as strain is brought to bear upon the draw-bar the gripping edges slide upon the rail in opposite directions as the jaws rotate until the space between them is sufiiciently lessened to make the engagement with the rail ositive and stron aving described t he invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic gripping device, in combination, a draw-bar having an attaching means at one end thereof, and a air of transversely-placed jaws upon the un er side of said draw-bar, said jaws having parallel IOO , the oppositesides of the rail, a draw-bar having an attaching means, and pivot pins or bolts passing through said draw-bar and jaws, substantially as described.

3. A device for the purpose described consisting-of adraw-bar having an eye 1n one end, in combination with, jaws havingp-arallelgripping edges, one facing the other, said jaws beingpivoted upon the other end of said draw-bar and arranged to maintain a parallel position-of their edges as tension is brought to bear upon them, one of said jaws havingashort end, substantially as de scribed.

4.1 Thecombinationwith a draw-bar, of transverselyplaced gripping-jaws pivoted thereon, said jaws having parallel an-d oppositely-faci-ng edges, substantially as and for the-purpose set forth. 7

52, The combinationin a track-anchor'of a draw-bar-having" an attaching means such as an eye atoneend, a-pair of j aws pivoted in the longitudinal center line of said bar, and having parallel engaging surfaces facing each other, the-said parallel surfaces being arranged to move-nearer together as the aws turnin opposite directions, and an overhang inglipfor the engaging face of each jaw.

63 I The. combination with a draw-b ar having an attaching means at one end of railengaging jaws pivoted in a longitudinal line of thesaidbar thereon, one of said 'jawsprovided with a transverse engaging surface having an overhanging lip on its loweredge, and the other j aw having two transverse engagingedges, each edge provided with a, corresponding overhanging lip, saidsecond named jaw providedalsowith-a shortened and-:curVedend and a rotating means, substantially as described.

7; The combination with a draW-banhaving an attaching means at one end, of jaws pivoted to the-other end and spaced apart one of said jaws having a transverse edge and overhanging lip therefor, and the other jaw having two transverse engaging edges each edge having an overhanging lip, a rotating means for said other jaw, and a curved and shortenedend therefor, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination with a draw-bar having an-attaching means at. oneend, of-two oppcsitely-placedjaws pivotally attached to the other end andhaving oppositely-facing engaging surfaces one of said jaws having also an eccentrically-curved face, and a ro-, tating means attached-thereto, substantially as described;

9. The combination with a draw-barhaving an attaching-means at one end, of two oppositely-placed jaws pivotally attached to the other end and having oppositely facing engaging surfaces, one i of said jaws having also an eccentrically-curved face, and arotating means attachedthereto, the said engaging edges for said jaws having each an undercut lip, subst antially I as described.

10. The combination in a rail-grippingdevice, of a-drawdoar, having an attaching means at one-endtlrereof, and apairofgripping-j aws, having parallel transverse gripping-faces pivoted upon said draw-bar; the said jaws being organized to rotate upon said bar in opposite-directions when-strain is brought to bear uponthe b'ar, andlthus decrease the distance between the said gripping edges, substantially as-describedr 11. The combination: in a railAgrippi-ng device, of a draw-bar having-an-attachi-ng means atone end, and a pair-of oppositelyfacing jaws, pivoted upon the other end in -a longitudinal line thereof, said jawshaving transverse gripping edges and an overhanging lipforeach edge, thesaid j awsb'eingorgan ized to rotate in opposite-directionswhen their edges engage with the rail; substantially as described.

GEORGE H. MILLER.

Witnesses M. MoNRoE, KURZENBERGER'. 

